Faced with threats from the Government that it will begin pressuring opposition members of Parliament and forcing them to vote for the amendments Bulgaria wants adopted in the Macedonian Constitution, VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said that this time the members of Parliament will hold firm.

The members of Parliament from VMRO-DPMNE are the last line of defense and they will not cave in no matter the pressure they are exposed to. They know, and the people know, that this Government’s days are numbered. Elections remain the only solution for a way out of this crisis, Mickoski said during today’s conference to mark the 33rd anniversary of the founding of VMRO-DPMNE.

Regarding the announcements that international officials will come to Macedonia, as they did in 2018, to urge the country to adopt the amendments despite clear public anger with the request, Mickoski said that they are welcome to come and see the concessions Macedonia already has made.

No other country gave away its identity, language and name as this country did. They tell us that the integration is the most important issue. I agree that it is important, but come to Macedonia to see how half a million people live in poverty, and 30,000 live in extreme poverty, with inflation rates seen nowhere in Europe, while the country is stuck in Europe’s waiting room. This is the reality of our life, Mickoski said.

During the event, he said that the door is now closed on amending the Constitution under Bulgarian dictate.

These past two weeks we witnessed a fierce attack from the Government, a sea of fake news and false labels. The nervousness that was on display clearly showed that DUI and SDS have no plan to protect Macedonia and that they will continue to demand from us to deliver what Bulgaria requires from Macedonia. I gave two proposals, based on our national interests, our identity and language, that also contained guarantess to continue on the path to our European future. Two weeks later, they refuse to declare which of the proposals they will accept. And it is clear that they are rejecting this historic opportunity for the future of Macedonia, Mickoski said during the conference on the 33rd anniversary of the founding of the largest party in Macedonia.

His proposals included voting on constitutional amendments to include the Bulgarian nation in the Preamble of the Constitution, which would only go into effect as Macedonia joins the EU, seeking guarantees from the EU that the Macedonian national identity will not be subverted in the long accession process, and the creation of a broad Government, without DUI in it. After the failure to reach agreement, Mickoski said that the issue is now closed. “There will be no constitutional amendments under Bulgarian dictate, not now, not in the future”. The Government needs votes from VMRO to adopt the amendments. The opposition leader said that if the ruling coalition comes to its senses, talk can resume only on the proposals he made.